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New York's Katrina: The Hidden and Mounting Toll of AIDS
Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster that covered New Orleans with water and forcefully uncovered that city's social conditions. Glaring examples of the horrible treatment meted out to the poor, mostly African American survivors have been staring us in the face for the past seven months. Daily, we read or hear about another event in the aftermath of the hurricane that tears to shreds the concept that we live in a "free and equal society." That the American Dream is a nightmare for millions of people is the result of our economic system and our attitudes about people who are poor. The worst treatment is reserved for poor people of color.
Unfortunately, another natural disaster is unfolding. It is not as dramatic as Katrina, but it is far more dangerous. It is AIDS in poor African American communities and poor communities of color in New York City. Just as the warning signs that a Katrina-like hurricane could happen in New Orleans, the warning signs that New York City's health "levees" could soon burst have been with us for years. In both cases, the science and technology to ameliorate the disasters have been developed and used around the world, and in both cases, little has been done here at home.
New York City puts poor people of color and poor African Americans starting life at a disadvantage. The current Infant Mortality Rate (deaths of infants under 1 year old per 1,000 live births) tells the story. The overall city rate is 6.1. Overall Puerto Rican rate is 7.5. Overall African American rate is 11.6. The highest rate in the city is in the mostly poor, mostly African American neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn--12.2. The lowest rates are in mostly white, middle-upper class Kips Bay and Yorkville in Manhattan--1.9. Things don't improve as these children get older.
In a Population Reference Bureau report, The Concentration of Negative Child Outcomes in Low-Income Neighborhoods by Mark Mather and Kerri L. Rivers, dated February 2006, tell us what should be obvious. "Research has shown that children growing up in poor neighborhoods are at higher risk of health problems, teen pregnancy, dropping out of school, and other social and economic problems compared to children living in more affluent communities." They go on to say:
"There are significant racial and ethnic differences in the proportion of children residing in poor neighborhoods.While about 8 percent of non-Hispanic white children lived in poor neighborhoods in 1999, Asian/Pacific Islander children were nearly twice as likely to live in such neighborhoods (17 percent), and American Indian and Latino children were more than 5 times as likely (45 percent and 42 percent respectively). African American children fared the worst. They were 6 times as likely to live in such neighborhoods (48 percent). Overall there were 5.2 million African American children living in poor neighborhoods in 1999-more than children from any other racial or ethnic group." The analysis of state-level data suggest "that negative outcomes for children are most highly concentrated in the Mississippi Delta and southwestern United States. New York and Rhode Island also stand out due to high concentrations of negative child outcomes in poor neighborhoods."
Read More
http://counterpunch.org/krales04152006.html
New York City puts poor people of color and poor African Americans starting life at a disadvantage. The current Infant Mortality Rate (deaths of infants under 1 year old per 1,000 live births) tells the story. The overall city rate is 6.1. Overall Puerto Rican rate is 7.5. Overall African American rate is 11.6. The highest rate in the city is in the mostly poor, mostly African American neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn--12.2. The lowest rates are in mostly white, middle-upper class Kips Bay and Yorkville in Manhattan--1.9. Things don't improve as these children get older.
In a Population Reference Bureau report, The Concentration of Negative Child Outcomes in Low-Income Neighborhoods by Mark Mather and Kerri L. Rivers, dated February 2006, tell us what should be obvious. "Research has shown that children growing up in poor neighborhoods are at higher risk of health problems, teen pregnancy, dropping out of school, and other social and economic problems compared to children living in more affluent communities." They go on to say:
"There are significant racial and ethnic differences in the proportion of children residing in poor neighborhoods.While about 8 percent of non-Hispanic white children lived in poor neighborhoods in 1999, Asian/Pacific Islander children were nearly twice as likely to live in such neighborhoods (17 percent), and American Indian and Latino children were more than 5 times as likely (45 percent and 42 percent respectively). African American children fared the worst. They were 6 times as likely to live in such neighborhoods (48 percent). Overall there were 5.2 million African American children living in poor neighborhoods in 1999-more than children from any other racial or ethnic group." The analysis of state-level data suggest "that negative outcomes for children are most highly concentrated in the Mississippi Delta and southwestern United States. New York and Rhode Island also stand out due to high concentrations of negative child outcomes in poor neighborhoods."
Read More
http://counterpunch.org/krales04152006.html
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